Great weekend and Blake in a predicament

We had a full and fun time this past weekend and look forward to several more in the upcoming weeks. On Friday night, we played games at a friends house that we had met at a church we visited several times and had a blast. Saturday some good friends from Indiana came to visit, and Sunday there was a church cook-out that we met some fun people through. At the church cook-out, Scott got recruited to play on the softball team, so he played on Sunday night but they are in the middle of their season. He may continue if they need players and if he can commit to most of the games. Currently, we have a couple out of town weekends scheduled, so Sunday night might not work for him.

Our friends from Indiana, Ariel and Ryan, came on Saturday and we decided it would be fun to go see the ski show that was going on due to the Clean Lakes Festival here in Madison. We quickly finished our dinner and headed out for the 6 o'clock showing. We barely found seats, as there were quite a few people there, even though the weather was unusually chilly, plus we got there about 5 minutes late. During the first 10 minutes of the show, we started wondering at the announcer's comments about the crew being tired and also, people started leaving. I thought that they must be bored, but come to find out, the show was over! I kept wondering if I got the time wrong, but it turns out they cut it short (really short). Also, I think the junior show was at 5:30, so maybe they cut that short and then started the real show early. Either way, Ariel and Ryan were good sports about it all and at least we got to see the pyramid at the end!

Photos of the day:

Yesterday, I had the patio screen door locked, but Blake wanted to get outside. Since he is unable to unlock the door, he decided to try his best to be outside.

Blake has managed to sandwich himself between the locked screen door and the patio door! Mind you, he completely shut the patio door by himself while in this predicament!! I just love this photo!

Starting to realize he can't move much...haha

Making his way to the handle to open the patio door.

Found he couldn't get it open by himself while being stuck, so he started to get a little frustrated. I quickly jumped in to assist. Here he is making his way out, haha! :)

Video of our Blake at ~21 months

This is kind of a long video (and maybe boring to you), but there were a couple moments that I just loved, so I thought I'd share. One was an "Awwww" moment and one was a "LOL" moment. I'll let you figure out which moments I'm talking about.

Blakey playing

Good-bye to little Jack and the many faces of a determined boy

Well, this was my last day watching little Jack. I had told his parents I would no longer be able to watch him after our baby was born b/c I didn't want to watch more than three kids at once. I've said this from the beginning when I started watching him so I don't think they were surprised about that part. I also said I would continue to watch Caitlin since she's Blake's age and they play well together, making Jack the fourth.

Well, I had talked to Caitlin's Mom about it and although she hasn't given me a firm answer, she made it sound like they would stay with me b/c she really likes sending Caitlin here. Well, after much thought, they decided it would be better for Caitlin not to have to switch to a new place during my maternity leave, get comfortable there, and then switch back to me. She has a lot of variability in her life due to her parent's divorce and living at two different homes that they didn't want to introduce more--totally understandable. Plus, her Dad has always preferred the day care center setting b/c of all the interaction she'd have with other kids and they found one they thought was really nice.

Well, she tells me this about 2 days after I told Jack's parent's I wouldn't watch him anymore, although she didn't exactly tell me she had made up her mind. She more told me that she probably would go that route, but that she basically had final say and was having a really hard time with the decision. So, I delayed telling Jack's parents, plus I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue watching Jack anyways b/c he can be a little high maintenance when he doesn't sleep well here, which had been frequent.

Well, Jack is now sleeping better and easier to care for and we just had our last day with him. :( His parent's found a place super close to their house, which worked really well for them due to his Grandma having to pick him up Fridays (and it being much closer for her), difficulty finding alternatives for my maternity leave, and the ease of either parent being able to drop him off (with our house it all fell on the mother b/c of proximity to her work). I had no idea if it was a hard decision for them until this week.

I had let them know I was now available due to Caitlin not continuing, but they had already started looking and found a place that worked out well for them. Yesterday his mother said it was sad we were done, gave me a hug this morning, and when Jack's Grandma came to pick him up, she was instructed to get a picture of me with Jack. The Grandma also told me that they were sad to be done and were very happy with my care and a little nervous about going somewhere else. The Grandma assured Jack's parent's that she was sure Jack could come back here if it didn't work out and was hoping the new lady was as good as me. Aw! That was so nice to hear--totally made my day. I was not really sure how they were feeling b/c they weren't as vocal as Caitlin's Mom, who has told me several times how glad she is that Caitlin comes here. Fun couple though, and she mentioned today and yesterday how she wanted to have us over to their house for a BBQ :) They have a very cute (and giggly) little boy who eats about 10 times more than Blake ever did (well, that's an exaggeration, but he doesn't seem to have the normal baby traits that know when they are full, haha).

Ok, onto Blake, haha. Blake enjoyed Jack and loved to try to feed him, give him toys (temporarily until he decided he wanted them back), pat his head, and give him hugs. I can't wait to see how he acts with his new baby brother/sister!

So, onto the second part of my title--the many faces of a determined boy. I've posted before how Blake loves the camera and how he tries to hard to get it. Well, I snapped a few photos of his attempts, and thought they were funny so I thought I'd share:



Wait a minute. Are you holding the camera Mom??



I WANT IT. I NEED IT.



I said I want it!!!



Yes!! Made it to Mom's lap! (I'm 26 weeks pregnant here)



Stop making me pose and give me the camera!!



Seriously Mom, stop it!!



Just about got it...

And that's the end b/c Blake got the camera. I did let him play for a short period of time, but he goes so button happy that he changes settings and almost deletes photos (he did delete one good one once, so I've been more careful).

Just before this and the whole reason for me having my camera out in the first place was because of Blake's "outfit." Scott is currently taking a swim class after work and shows up with wet clothes which he then lays out to dry wherever he happens to be when he unloads his bag. I've mentioned to him a couple times that I don't want wet boxers on my kitchen chairs. Well, Blake approaches me at the computer and I found that this is what happens when they are left in our living space:



HAHA!! I sure got a kick out of this!!



Blake has discovered the tape measure and he loves it!



Oh my goodness, this is just too funny!!



Ok, he's done and off to steal my camera, as documented above :)

Baby names??

For some reason, I am really struggling with baby names this time around. I keep looking and nothing pops out at me as being something I love, although I must admit, it wasn't exactly like that with Blake Richard. Scott and I each separately compiled a list, went through it, and it still took us a while to decide on a name. I guess the difference this time is that I'm not really that excited about any of the names I've written down so far...oh well, it will come. :)

I remember my mother telling me that babies like to be in the same room as their Mommy. Well, I've found that is usually true with Blake. Sometimes I just want to lie on the couch alone for a bit, but if he sees me there, he jumps up on the couch to keep me company (or to jump on my head). :)

He doesn't always have to be by me while making dinner, but this particular night he did. It makes cooking a little difficult when you have a little body in the middle of the kitchen who is diligent on making it his play area.

Dishwasher open? Check
Tupperware pulled out? Check
Wagon nearby? Check
Mommy's shoes tried on and deposited in kitchen? Check
Sitting in the middle of the floor near all his "toys"? Check

This is a little better view of my obstacle course while making dinner :)

So, my Mom decided to be a saint and help Blake learn to walk by giving me my old high chair, which he loved to push around while he was still just a crawler. Little did she know that this would turn into another something to climb on....



Making his way up (with these blocks around his neck, which I find to be truly adorable). I love his little foot...:)

 

And...he's up and about to check out the contents of my mixer :)



Pre-climb--had to include b/c I thought it was an adorable picture

 Before all this happened, Blake had been playing near the fireplace and I wanted a picture of the blocks around his neck. So, I snapped a couple pictures and then looked a little closer at an image in one of the pictures, then down at the actual image and discovered that yes, it is money in the picture! There is $5 in his highchair. Well, I started to discover credit cards, my license, medical cards, etc lying around the house. Blake had gotten into my purse but the odd thing about it all was that I thought I had $10 (2 five dollar bills) in my purse, but when I went to get my purse, there was still $10....where did Blake get this additional $5??? I guess we'll never know :)

 

Uh-oh! Another one bites the dust!

Blake's new word is Uh-Oh! and he says it sooooo cute b/c he puts his lips in a perfect circle when saying it. I finally got it on video--I've tried a few times but wasn't real successful in getting him to say it until this morning :)

Here it is:

Uh-Oh!!      

The title I chose for this post is due to a series of "accidents" we've had lately where Blake throws our dishes on the floor and they break. I'm starting to lose count of the casualties...we've tried and tried to train him not to throw his silverware, cups, bowls, etc, but it just isn't working perfectly. He's gotten immensely better, but he still does it and whenever I leave a glass dish out on the table, it is in grave danger.

You would think that hardwood floors would help cushion the blow a bit, but I'm pretty sure he actually throws the dish as opposed to dropping it (somehow, it is always when I am not looking...). He's even broken a couple of Cornell ware, which is supposed to be extremely break-proof. This particular glass shattered pretty bad, so shards flew a ways. It is hard to clean up as well b/c there is usually something wet in the dish, making it harder to sweep up.

He's only gotten glass in his foot once and it was due to something that Caitlin accidentally knocked off the patio furniture (totally not her fault), but it is quite difficult to get every piece of glass off of concrete b/c of how porous it is. I swept it a few times, but still missed one. Blake didn't even cry, just limped on his foot every once in a while and I didn't even check until I brought him inside and noticed some blood on the floor. Oops :s Conveniently, he wanted to touch his owie and somehow worked the glass out just as I was looking for a tweezers, so I got to avoid that uncomfortable task!

Family Visits

For the 4th of July weekend, we had a couple sets of company from family, which was awesome. First, Scott's sister and her family were coming through the area, so they stopped for the night and hung out with us in the morning. Blake loved having his cousins around--he was so entertained by them! When it was time for them to leave, he crawled in the back of their minivan and waved good-bye to Scott. He resisted when Scott tried to take him out--it was so cute! Right after they left, he realized how tired he was, couldn't even eat lunch and was starting to fall asleep in his highchair, so we gave up trying to feed him and put him to bed.

Here is my big boy wanting to play games with his cousins:

They were all in the basement which the boys, Andy & Sam, just loved and I'm pretty sure it was because Scott called it his "man cave." In the morning, they both separately asked if they could go down to the "manly cave." We got a good laugh out of that :)



Ok, so Blake didn't last long in the game...:)

But isn't he cute in his little pajamas??? :)

Sorry, no pictures of the littlest addition to the family, Jesse, whom I held quite a bit b/c he likes to sleep while being held. Shame on me for forgetting to get pictures!!

After Katie & Ryan left, my parent's showed up the next day. It was so nice to have them here and once again, shame on me for not getting pictures! What was I thinking?? Mom, you'll have to send me some of yours!

We went to the beach with Blake and tried to introduce him to lake water. He took to that much better than the dells, but preferred to walk around the park instead. So, my Mom who loves the water and wanted to play in the water with him, ended up following him around and around the bathrooms. Haha. Afterwards, we tried to get a train ride at the zoo, which was just next door, but it was closing when we walked in. Too bad, that would have been fun!

We also played a few games of Alhambra, which is a new favorite of ours. It appeared they all enjoyed the game--Mom won the first game and Scott the second. The next morning, we went to church, kept Blake in the service for the music part, which he loves, and then came home for lunch. Not a real long trip, but so fun!

It was nice to introduce my parent's to Blake in his normal environment b/c he is a little different here than at other places. She found out how wearing it can be chasing Blake around b/c he'll play until you're worn out. We'll see if this playing continues into adulthood like it has for his Daddy :)

Lastly, I am 25 weeks prego as I mentioned earlier, so thought I'd attempt a self portrait :) I put the camera on the fireplace mantle and had to bend my knees a little to get my head in the picture...note to self: remember to take a picture when Scott is home :)

Misc stuff

So, I realize that I don't post very often, so if you'd like to read my posts, but would prefer not to have to keep checking my blog to see if it is updated, then let me know and I can add your e-mail address to the list so that you get an e-mail with my blog post each time I post. My Mom has been getting this for a while, so I know it works :)

Let's see, what's been going on in our life? Well, I am currently 25 weeks pregnant, so that is exciting, but we are far from picking out a name. I'm still feeling well, and heartburn has been minimal, so that's been awesome. With Blake, I had uncomfortable heartburn at this time :)

Blake continues to grow and learn new things. His newest things are trying on clothes and shoes and his biggest thing is he's decided it is time he started talking a little more. This kid, I tell you, it is all in his timing and no matter how much you try to encourage something, it will be futile b/c one day he'll just decide it is time. Well, this weekend was the breakthrough and all of a sudden started repeating numerous words. So, it isn't like he wasn't able before, just didn't want to. He still won't do it on command though...



Trying on Daddy's shoes. I know he's done this before, but now he sits down and really tries to put them on, rather than just slipping a foot in while standing.



Working so hard at it



Finished!



Trying on some shorts--it appears he already had some on :)

If you're wondering what the bump on his head is in the earlier pictures, well, that is due to him falling off a camping chair onto cement. Poor little Blakey and I get so worried every time he falls on cement! He was trying to sit on the arm of the chair, which looks reasonable considering it is fairly wide, but unfortunately, it isn't stable and only appears wide enough to sit on when in reality it is just fabric with a bar supporting it. So, he fell head first into the cement. After he calmed down, he was back to crawling up on chairs, etc, so I put in Charlotte's Web into our DVD player and got him to sit and relax so I could stop worrying that he'd hit his head again. I did this while I made dinner. Scott was tired, so he sat and watched it with him while Blake snacked on some dry Chex cereal.

I thought it was nice that they were both watching a movie together, but when dinner was about ready, I went to check on them and the Chex were scattered all over the floor and Blake was walking over them. Scott was sleeping on the couch. :)

Blake loves the couch like his Daddy does :), and the pillows even more so. I walked into the living room one day and honestly didn't see him. I assumed he was under the end tables as usual, so I asked where he was. Then I saw him gleaming at me from the couch, buried under a pile of pillows. He was thrilled that I couldn't find him at first. So cute--I know this isn't my first couch/pillow post, but here's a couple extra :)



You can see why I didn't notice him at first!!



So excited that he could hide from me



Now starting to play :)



Blake also loves to go upstairs and read on our bed, or the rocking chair in our room. So, I was looking for him and found him sitting quietly in the rocking chair playing with the toothbrush holder he found in the bathroom and his slinky from Grandma. We've now had to move the toothpaste up b/c he likes to suck on it. He wasn't getting much, but I'd find saliva in my toothpaste when going to use it--kind of grosses me out. Now, I'm worried he'll actually eat it b/c he can now open the lid. 

 

Chilling in the glider

 

Putting on a show for me



Back to playing hard

Ok, so I guess that wasn't really an update on our life so much as an update in Blake's life. More to come later :)